Another severe earthquake has occurred in northeastern Afghanistan. The tremors were felt as far away as the capital Kabul and neighboring Pakistan. So far nothing is known about any damage or casualties.
There was a strong earthquake in northern Afghanistan on Thursday. There are currently no reports of deaths, injuries or damage. The US Earthquake Observatory (USGS) gave the magnitude of the quake at 6.4. The epicenter was in the Jurm district of Badakhshan province in the Hindu Kush mountain region, about 300 kilometers from the Afghan capital Kabul.
According to media reports, the tremors were felt as far away as the Indian capital New Delhi, 1,000 kilometers away, and in its Central Asian neighbor Tajikistan.
The earthquake caused buildings across the region to sway. A man from a village in the Jurm district told the AFP news agency by telephone that the quake had “rocked the village” and that cracks had appeared in some of the house walls.
In Islamabad, people fled buildings because of the tremors.
In the Pakistani capital Islamabad, people fled their homes. A Kabul resident said he was reminded of the recent devastating series of earthquakes in western Afghanistan. In October, a series of earthquakes measuring 4.2 to 6.3 magnitude killed thousands of people in Herat province. According to the United Nations, around 1,500 people died there.
Aid organization warns of aftershocks
“Our teams are on high alert and we are in contact with our officials in the remote regions,” said rescue workers in Pakistan’s border region with Afghanistan. The aid organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned of aftershocks in the coming days and weeks and difficulties in coping. “Humanitarian aid in Afghanistan is already overstretched and struggling with the consequences of decades of conflict, climate change and economic crisis,” the organization said.
There are frequent severe earthquakes in the region where the Arabian, Indian and Eurasian plates meet. At a depth of more than 200 kilometers, the latest quake was well below the Earth’s surface, reducing the chance of damage.
The epicenter was in the Jurm district, about 300 kilometers from the Afghan capital Kabul.